Suspect arrested, charged in shooting deaths of 2 teens found dead months ago in Arizona wilderness

Authorities in Arizona have arrested and charged a man in connection with the shooting deaths of two teenagers found in a remote area earlier this year.

Thomas Brown, 31, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of high school students Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

“Murder is one of the most heinous crimes that can be brought on a person and their family,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Lee said at a Friday press conference. “In a way, it’s the ultimate theft.”

Brown was arrested and booked into Maricopa County jail. He did not turn himself in voluntarily, and there is no evidence suggesting that Brown knew either victim before the killings, according to Lee.

“They were, as far as we know, complete strangers,” Lee said. 

At Friday’s news conference, Pandora Kjolsrud’s mother, Simone Kjolsrud, described her daughter as “a beautiful, brilliant light in this world.”

“We are all devastated, and we miss her every day,” Simone Kjolsrud said. “All of life’s beauty feels less bright without her here, but the light and love and beauty she gave us will be in our hearts forever. And the darkness that she encountered on that day, when she met her killer, will not define her life.”

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.